Structural mechanics (for GC)

Summary

The course discusses the basic principles of structural mechanics, analyzing the performance of materials and structures against loading and focuses on the stress strain relationships and the effect of axial, bending, shear and torsional loadings on engineer structures.

Content

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Keywords

Mechanics of materials, stresses in structures, stress-strain relationships, theory of elasticity for isotropic media, beam theory, deflections in beams, principle of virtual work, stability

Learning Prerequisites

Required courses

• Statics

Recommended courses

Structures

 

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

• Develop Capacity for critical thinking.
• Establish objectives and create plans to achieve them.
• Assess / Evaluate problems and act for solutions.
• Analyze situations and prioritize decisions.
• Demonstrate capacity for creativity.

Transversal skills

• Plan and carry out activities in a way which makes optimal use of available time and other resources.
• Assess progress against the plan, and adapt the plan as appropriate.
• Use a work methodology appropriate to the task.
• Communicate effectively, being understood, including across different languages and cultures.

Teaching methods

Ex cathedra 2 hours lecture and 2 hours exercises (flexible schedule to present exercises during lectures and theory during exercises sessions to digest the content)

Use of:

• Power point presentations
• Blackboard
• In-class exercises
• Computational tools to facilitate learning

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Expected student activities

• Weekly in-class exercises

Assessment methods

• Final written exam

Supervision

Office hours	No
Assistants	No
Forum	Yes

Resources

Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)

No

Bibliography

Popov E. Mechanics of Materials

Gere, JM., and Timoshenko, SP. Mechanics of Materials

Bedenik, B, Besant, C. Analysis of engineering structures

And other books on mechanics of materials  

Ressources en bibliothèque

• Popov E. Mechanics of Materials
• Bedenik B, Besant C. Analysis of engineering structures
• Gere JM, Goodno BJ. Mechanics of Materials (2013)
• Gere JM, Timoshenko SP. Mechanics of Materials

Notes/Handbook

• The course lectures, list of in-class exercise problems, problem sets and exams are provided weekly through Moodle.
• The course does not follow a specific textbook.

Moodle Link

• https://go.epfl.ch/CIVIL-238

Prerequisite for

• Design of steel structures
• Design of concrete structures
• Geoetechnical engineering
• Structural analysis
• Advanced steel design
• Structural stability
• Structural dynamics
• Seismic engineering
• Continuum mechanics